One area that seems to have been a focus for Microsoft for this update is in regards to text messaging. We can now confirm at least three new significant features to that aspect of the OS with this rollout...

Three new undocumented features for Windows Phone 8 (10211) Portico:

SMS Drafts

Select all (for mass deletion)

SMS Call reject

The first addition we have actually known about for sometime, as it was rumored to be coming with the HTC 8S. The ability to create drafts of SMS messages is a small but important feature for those who text a lot. When typing a messaging and backing out, an unsent message is added to the drafts area, which can then later be accessed.

The ‘select all’ feature with delete is also new. Previously users could mass select test messages but you had to manually select them one by one before they could be deleted. Now, users can check all at once and then delete with just two-steps. Once again, a significant improvement.

Mass select for text and Call reject via Text

The third is the most interesting though: users can finally reject phone calls with a text message. When a call comes in and the user slides up to either answer or ignore, a third option is now present to use Text. Once selected, the user is brought to a new screen where they can tap-to-send a pre-written SMS to the recipient. The two messages are “I’ll call you back” or “Please Text me” with a third option letting the user enter in a text directly.

[Update: You can manually enter two of your own SMS messages for text-call reject under the Phone settings.]

Although these are by no means huge changes, they are little things that irritate people when they are missing. It’s nice to see Microsoft is paying attention to small details to help improve the Windows Phone experience.

It's not Skype either. It's entirely based on radios not going to sleep properly... not sure of more details than that, but I've been working on these types of issues for a LONG time on a lot of phones. It's most likely the same cause as the reboots. Reboot is probably the result of a radio locking up and OS not handling it, and radio locking due to not sleeping in certain conditions.

In any case, it's interesting... I'm in Youngstown, Ohio, and I keep ALL radios on and Skype and Facebook running 24/7. No battery drain... ever, except when I go to an LTE area (Cleveland or Pittsburgh for me) and then return to a non-LTE area (Youngstown).

My history of smartphones is: HTC Wizard (Cingular 8125), Touch Pro 2 (AT&T Tilt 2), Samsung Focus, cyan Lumia 900, red Lumia 920. I am relatively new to WP Central, though. I mean, I've played with Android and iOS (I have an iPad 2, which I would happily trade for a Surface Pro and I've installed Android on things and played with BlueStacks), but I don't think I could use either as my daily phone. Maybe Android now that Jellybean has made it so much better.

Very, very nice!! :D Way to go Microsoft on some GREAT (and much requested) features. This is EXACTLY the type of update that needs to be released on a monthly basis. Release bug fixes and small features on a smaller, but more frequent basis, and your customers will love you for it.

Now just get this update out to ALL phones, and tell carriers to suck it!

Is there something positive you can contribute to this site or conversation? Because if you can, it would be greatly appreciated. If you can't, then I'm curious to know what joy or happiness keeps you here.

I think HTC got the update first because of the reboot issue. While the battery drain sucks on Nokia, at least it is useable for a couple of hours. From reports I read in the forums, the reboot issue can happen a couple of times an hour even when on a call. It renders the phone totally useless. So I'm not surprised HTC got it first.

Any luck on the filtering individual contacts front? I only need some of my Facebook friends in my phone. Alleviating the problem with groups is not a bad work around, but having these folks clogging up my people hub is starting to grate somewhat.

Basically I want some if not most of my Facebook friends to be as invisible on my 810 as they are in my Facebook. Some of these folks have to be kept as friends for various reasons, I just NEVER need to call them.

I was also hoping for this feature coming from android when logging in to the Facebook app you have the option of syncing all your facebook contacts to your phone's contact list or syncing only your FB contacts who also have a matching entry in your phonebook, is this possible?

Wait, WP8 doesn't do what WP7 does?
In WP7.5, I can:
go into the people hub
hit the elipses (...) at the bottom
go into settings
select "filter my contact list"
uncheck Facebook, hit checkmark
You could then only show posts from people visible in contact list.

As long as you have an entry for the FB people you want to still see in your main contacts, their FB stuff will still show up IIRC (don't recall if you have to link them first).
If this is a known issue with WP8, my apologies as I've not heard of it until now.

Its the exact same in WP8. You still require the contact to already be in your list to have FB info attached to it otherwise filtering FB contacts will hide all of them. Which is what Magenta was trying to work around.

Someone may have already helped, otherwise.. If you want to filter out fb contacts, just create a contact for them, even just their name, then link the two and go into people and filter out fb entirely. Then u just get your proper contacts but they'll have the fb details populated.. Sweet as

I just checked my text message area on my 920 and I still have to put a check next to each contact, I see no Select All, which is what the update actually includes. Maybe you thought being able to delete multiple threads at a time was what they were referring to?

Oh I sooooo hope we get customizable txt alerts!!!! I work an on-call "pager" and really need to be able to set a (custom) alert loud enough to wake me when a text comes in...plus it would just be nice to have something personal so my friends and I did't all reach for our phones when one of us got a text. Seriously Microsoft, why wasn't this in WP8 from day one, let alone WP7x??

I'm in a similar situation as IT for a hospital, but I have no problem with the existing alert choices on volume 30 with vibrate enabled. Try Alert 1 or Alert 7... they're particularly long and distinctive.

Hey Daniel... I noticed a few issues with Xbox Music on my Lumia 920 whereby the screen would take a little while to load between selecting a song and the song's page coming up. The app would also crash time to time. Did you notice any of these problems with your 920 or 8X? And if so, have they been fixed with this update?

i agree, the sync software worked so much better, i just don't understand how they've taken SO MANY steps back when essentially all they did was rebrand the exact same service they already had working extremely well.

and don't even get me started on how crappy the cloud sync is working so far. one of the biggest reasons i fell in love with windows phone in the first place was the great music service they offered, and now i still really like windows phone, and my 920, but xbox music has really let me down.

I think some of you are expecting a little more than what we're going to get for this first update. I'll be fine with that, only if they keep updates frequent.
There is alot to fix, improve, etc. While I don't expect it all at once, I hope we get many small updates frequently instead waiting forever for one big update.
However, it remains to be seen how long we'll have to wait for even small updates like this based on carrier/device. Not going to be happy if it ends up being just like before, where the carriers screwed us.

Inteller, I have got to ask you this since nothing seems to please you. Did MS steal and/or kick your puppy or something? We spend our time talking about the perks and foibles of technology here and it's like someone made you swallow rocks, kicked you in the junk, and forced you to throw the whole lot up because you didn't get an update.

Hey Daniel, do you know if, for the people who got the phone through a carrier, if we are still bound to having them approve and send out the update or is it controlled by Microsoft/the phone manufacturer.

My guess that the HTC already got this update is, is that MS is waiting for Nokia to include some bugfixes and perhaps other improvements.
But are you guys sure this is the Portico update and not just some smaller in-between-update?I thought Portico came in Q1 2013? Also why didn't MS tell us that an update was coming and with what changelog?

Can someone explain to me how this "rolling out of updates" works?
I have an unlocked version bought in Hong Kong and haven't received the update yet. Is it country specific? Or linked to the region you have it setup to? I'm clueless ...

Installed the update on my 8X but it seems MS has messed up again - unless I'm doing somethings wrong, can't see how. I can set the option for SMS call reject and edit the messages in the phone settings but the option to reject with an SMS is NOT coming up when a call is received. Very dissapointing.....

It's probably like texting in WP... it will only offer if the number is registered as a contact's mobile number. After all, you can't text a non-mobile number, and how would it know without that tidbit?

Is there any way to export text threads? SMS/MMS either through backup, cloud storage, email, homebrew etc? On WP7.5 or WP8? I have so many conversations i want to keep, but would love to get them off my phone. Anything in the update or is this already available?

I want an update to my Lumia 920 that alleviates dropped calls. Not all but almost every call ends in a dropped call. I'm beginning to wonder if it's a 4G issue more then anything. My old iPhone 4 had better reception but it was just 3G.

were they able to fix group messaging with different OS platforms? For instance, if I have friends with iphones and when we have a group message going on, it doesnt show up in a unified thread but rather separate individual messages showing up in the thread of whoever sent it.

Deleting all messages isnt really a priority for me.I want to see swipe down to close apps rather than spam back button. Less CPU/battery use when on standby. forward button in ie10. Call duration details. Toggle wifi/bt/NFC from home screen with one click. Orientation lock.

The most basic and essential feature that is available in all other platforms except Windows Phone 7/8 - Orientation Lock....
People enjoy lying on bed while accessing to their favourite contents yet MS does not allow this.... Hopefully it is available soon!

I agree - also the missing ability to call a contact directly from a text is a no-brainer. Do you know if there is any official feature request community, where we can make them aware of these short comings?

The name up top, where it says who you've been texting... You tap it, and it brings you to their info, so you can call just after that. Some might argue it's not a one-tap solution, but it accomplishes what you're looking for.

in response to my earlier issue around sms rejection option not appearing: Update 2: Thank you to Anonymous in the comments to this post....the SMS-on-call-reject feature only works for incoming calls from mobile numbers and only when the mobile number is in your contacts list. I suppose this makes sense, but it would be good if this was explained in Settings.

Maybe I am missing something, but does anybody know if I can search in text messages? I am on Nokia 822 (VZ) and when you click the search button in Text module it takes you to Bing.
Maybe this will be in the update?